Finally, the election petition tribunal sitting in Makurdi, Benue State, yesterday upheld the petition of Alhaji Usman Dan Maishanu Abubakar of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) against the election of Senate President, Senator David Mark. The tribunal upheld the results of the election held in seven local government areas of Benue State South Senatorial district and ordered fresh election in Okpokwu and Agatu, whose results have been contentious.
In a 150-page judgment delivered in three hours and 15 minutes, the tribunal chairman, Justice C.I Uriri, ordered INEC to conduct fresh elections into the two canceled local government areas, which constitute 25.4 percent of the senatorial district..
The seven local government areas whose results were certified alright by the tribunal are Oturkpo, Ohimini, Ogbadibo, Ado, Obi, Oju and Apa.
The results from the seven councils showed that the petitioner had an edge over Mark who secured 98, 026 votes against the petitioner€„¢s 172, 636 valid votes.
The tribunal, which started sitting at 10. 45 am said the best option is for the results in the two councils to be nullified and another election held within 60 days, a step that attracted deafening applause from the crowd.
Now Benue state has no Senator who was validly elected. All of them are political fraudsters as far as the Tribunals are concerned.
Now the Senate, as happened before is presided over by a pretender who did not win elections.
For Benue State this is indeed a sorry situation. Almost all members of the House of Representatives from the State, including, Terngu Tsegba, temporary Speaker and David Idoko, man whose committee found Etteh guilty!!!!!!
With so much fraud uncovered by a diligent tribunal€¦Ã¢‚¬¦what are going to do? The Electoral Act 2006 makes several acts, including falsification of results punishable. It is necessary for all perpetrators of this fraud to be arrested, and prosecuted in the courts of law.
There is indeed no alternative to this if we are to avoid future misbehaviors